Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy: The Templar Chronicles: Book 2 (7 page)

“I’m warning you. Don’t underestimate her,” Eva said.

“We’ll be fine. There are some answers I want from her anyway,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. “Let’s get on with it.”

Eva continued up the stairs.

As we got closer, a pit formed in my stomach. The kind I get right before something bad happens. Eva had told me only the smallest details about Aquinas. She was the leader of the Black Guard, head of all monster hunters everywhere. But she was also the one who had made the decision to use me as bait to trap Ren Lucre on my first night as a monster hunter. Most importantly still, she was the person most likely to know the truth about my father’s whereabouts.

I reached the top of the stairs, ready to finally get answers to my questions.

Chapter Four

W
e walked into a large room that glowed warmly from dozens of candles spread throughout. The trunk of the tree rose through the center of the floor and disappeared through the low-hanging ceiling above. Branches scrolled gracefully throughout the room, serving as dividers for the various areas. 

In one section, a long table made of thick, rough-cut wood stretched out with enough room for twelve people. Another area was a clutter of comfortable looking couches and pillows laid out among stacks of old, leather bound books. Back in the far corner, unlit by candles but still visible from the glow of the rest of the room, was what looked like a mad scientist’s laboratory. Glass beakers, weights and scales, test tubes, drafting tables with diagrams, and more rows of books filled the area.  The final quarter was empty except for several weapons lining the edge of a straw covered mat. A training room. I spotted a circular staircase in the back of the room that went up a level to what I supposed were the sleeping quarters.  

Aquinas stood with her back to us as we stood on the balcony.

“Well, step in here, boy,” she said. “Let me have a look at you.”

I stepped closer and Aquinas turned to face me. I had been able to tell from below that she was old, but up close the word ‘ancient’ was the only one that came to mind.

Deep wrinkles crisscrossed her face, framed by shock-white hair. She hunched over as if just the act of breathing was a challenge. A dull, red scar wrapped around her throat and up one side of her face to her ear. She leaned heavily on the gnarled walking stick, even though she was standing motionless.

While her body language signaled nothing but a dull frailty, her eyes were an intense blue, almost to a point of being unnatural. They looked me up and down with focus, taking in every minute detail. It was a clear signal that there was more to her than her appearance implied.  

Eva had warned me not to underestimate her. One glance at those eyes and I knew she was right.

“May I present Jack Templar and his companions Will Chacon and T-Rex Boyle,” Eva said formally.

Aquinas approached Will and T-Rex first. “So, you are the unexpected additions. An unfortunate lapse of judgment by one of my best hunters.” Eva lowered her head at the reprimand. Aquinas put her face very close to Will’s. “Perhaps I will remedy this error and send you home?”

The threat of being sent away took Will by surprise. He stammered for the right words. “I…but I already…why would…”

“I’m afraid there is nothing but blood and pain here for you, young William Chacon,” Aquinas said.  “I do not want your death on my hands.” Aquinas turned to Eva. “Send him home.”

“Now, wait a minute,” I said.

“What?” Will cried out. “No way.”

Aquinas watched Will, waiting.

“I can’t go back,” Will said. “I have nothing to go back to.”

“What of your family?” Aquinas asked.

“I have no one. At least no one who matters, anyway,” he said. I thought back to the bruises Will used to come to school with. To the school counselors, he always had a good story, but the bruises didn’t come from falling off a bike, or tumbling down a flight of stairs. They came from his father. Getting away to come to the Academy had been the best possible thing for him. Now, only minutes after arriving, he found himself about to be sent home.

“I won’t go,” he declared firmly.

Aquinas raised an eyebrow and studied him. “What did you just say?”

“I said I won’t go. You’re going to have to drag me out of here and it’s going to take more than a few people to do it. And I don’t care if you take me all the way back to America. The second I’m free, I’ll start my way back here. And when I get here I’ll just climb right over that wall and do it all over again.”

“Just words,” Aquinas hummed. “Easily said, but harder to do.”

“Send me home and you’ll see that I’m telling the truth,” Will said, tears welling in his eyes now. “I swear on my life that I will just keep coming back until you let me stay.”

Aquinas looked at Eva, who couldn’t help but crack a smile. “You were right, Eva,” Aquinas said. “He is a feisty one. And you vouch for him?”

Eva looked Will over and then nodded. “I do. I vouch for him.” 

Aquinas lifted her walking stick up and poked Will in the chest with it gently. “If you stay, you will follow every command given to you. You will do exactly as you are told, exactly when you are told to do it. You’re loyalty is to the Black Guard if you stay. Nothing else. Do we have an understanding?”

Will beamed with excitement. “Yes, of course. Thank you. I won’t let you down. I promise.” He acknowledged Eva with a nod of the head.

“Yes, yes, we’ll see about that,” Aquinas said. “And what to do with this one?” she asked herself, sizing up T-Rex, who immediately stuck a finger in his nose. She knocked his hand away with her cane and then poked his belly with it. She shook her head disapprovingly. “What to do, indeed.”

“Begging your pardon, ma’am,” T-Rex said nervously. “But Eva told me there might be a fit for me in the kitchens. A Ratling, she called it.”

Aquinas arched an eyebrow. “A Ratling? This is for hunters who cannot complete their training, either because of an injury or because they lack the courage.”

“Oh yes, that’s perfect,” T-Rex said eagerly.

“It means not being a hunter and not going out to fight the monsters,” Aquinas said.

“That sounds great!” T-Rex exclaimed before catching himself. He looked at Will and me. “Not that I don’t want to fight…it’s just…you know…”

“You’d just rather be around the food,” Will said.

“Exactly,” T-Rex said.

Aquinas broke out into a wide smile and placed a hand on T-Rex’s shoulder. “Then so you shall. There is a bell in the central courtyard. In the morning, you will go to it and ring it three times. Only three times, mind you. Any hunter who wishes to stop his or her training may ring the bell at any time. Afterward, you will see Bacho and he will train you.”

“Three times. Got it,” T-Rex said.

“Only three,” Aquinas said, her voice laced with warning. “Make certain of it.”

“What happens if he rings it more than three times?” Will asked.

“The Trial of the Cave,” Eva said. “It is…”

“…quite a long story,” Aquinas interjected. “And the hour is late, Eva. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Eva nodded and fell silent. If she was trying to stop us from wanting to find out what the Trial of the Cave was, she had just done the opposite. I made a mental note to ask Eva at the first chance.

Master Aquinas turned to me and I felt a small burst of adrenaline. While I was happy that both Will and T-Rex were being allowed to stay, I found myself battling a rising anger as I stood waiting for Aquinas to address me. I reminded myself that Aquinas had used me as bait for Ren Lucre. A dangerous game that resulted in the death of both my Aunt Sophie and Hester.

“This is all well and good,” I said, unable to hide the anger in my voice, “but I came here to get answers.”

Aquinas turned toward me slowly, sizing me up with those crystal-clear blue eyes. “Everyone wants answers, young Templar. Unfortunately, there’s a shortage of them in this world,” she said.

“Where is my father?” I asked. “Is Ren Lucre still alive? What are the Jerusalem Stones?”

Aquinas shuffled close to me until we were standing face-to-face. She reached up with a shaking, gnarled hand and placed it carefully on my cheek. “You look so very much like him,” she whispered. “Is it too much to hope that your heart is like his as well? Tell me, what do you stand for?”

The directness of the question took me aback. Her hand cradled my face, holding it so that I couldn’t look away from her piercing eyes.

“What do you mean?” I muttered.

“What do you stand for!” she said, her voice deep and powerful. This was no longer a question, it was a command.

I searched for an answer but nothing came to me. I froze, suddenly terrified of this frail, old woman who seemed able to see right through me. She searched my face, then finally exhaled, smiled and patted my cheek. “The day you can answer that question is the day you will find your true power. Sleep, young one. Tomorrow your training begins.”

She took her hand away, turned her back and slowly walked toward the stone staircase in the back of the room. I stood there, stupidly, shocked by the sudden end to the conversation. Even though my hands trembled, I couldn’t believe that she was walking away from me. “That’s it?” I asked. “You’re not going to answer any of my questions?”

Aquinas hummed quietly to herself as she walked, clearly meaning to ignore me.

“But I came halfway around the world looking for answers.”

“Then, by all means, you must find them,” Aquinas said.

“I don’t understand. I came because Eva told me you had answers.”

She slowly climbed the stairs, whistling a tune as she did, her cane thumping heavily on each step. Finally, she disappeared into the room above.

I felt an overwhelming urge to follow her and demand that she tell me what she knew. But I felt Eva grab my elbow and pull me toward her. “Come on,” she whispered. “There will be time for answers later.”

Frustrated, I pulled my arm from her and marched out of the room and onto the balcony. The courtyard below was now empty except for the guards at the gate. Above, the winter storm had blown past and revealed a brilliant sky of bright stars. I pulled my cloak around me to ward off the chill and looked out of over the wall into the forest. A wolf’s howl rose up from the trees, haunting and beautiful. 

Eva, Will and T-Rex came up and stood beside me, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Finally, it was Eva who broke the silence. “Aquinas practically raised me after Ren Lucre killed my family. Without her…” she held up her left arm with the missing hand, “I would have been a Ratling. She means the best.”

“Sorry, but it’s hard to see that right now,” I said. “I’m here to find out where my father is being held. Once I find that out, or if Aquinas can’t help me, I need to go look on my own.”

“Come on, I’ll show you to your room. You need to get a good night’s sleep. Even with the excitement tonight, the Academy is open for business at first light. You boys are going to need to be at the top of your game.”

We let her lead us down into the courtyard and into one of the wide barracks built into the side of the wall. Rows of bunk beds lined the room and the soft sounds of breathing filled the air. Eva pointed to two empty beds at the end of the room. “It’s not much, but it’ll be warm in here.”

“There are only two beds,” I said.

“Ratlings don’t sleep in the hunters’ dorm. I’ll show T-Rex to his bed,” she said.

“Where are you sleeping?” Will asked.

“Instructor’s lodging. Two buildings down,” she whispered. “I might not see you at first. Just follow the others. You’ll figure it out.”

Eva turned to leave but I grabbed her arm. She looked at me, puzzled. “I don’t think I ever thanked you for coming back for me. You saved my life.”

“I like it better when you owe me one,” she said. “Now get to sleep.”

We waved at T-Rex as he left with Eva. Will and I climbed into our beds. After the craziness of the last day, lying down in an actual bed felt amazing.

I closed my eyes and felt my aching bones settle into the mattress. I then took a deep breath, and let sleep wash over me.

What felt like a second later, a great crashing sound filled the air. I leapt out of bed, ready to battle whatever monster was making such an outlandish noise. But instead of a monster, I saw three older boys walking down the middle aisle of the beds, banging swords on metal shields and making a racket. Pale strands of first light filtered in through the windows.

“Come on! Up and at ‘em,” one of the boys cried.

“Bunch ‘a pansies. Sleep is for the weak. Let’s go!” said another.

I swung my legs out of bed and was rewarded with Will’s feet smacking the top of my head as he crawled out of the upper bunk.

“Sorry,” Will mumbled. “Hey, did you get one of these?” He held out a folded set of black clothes. The same style Eva and Daniel had worn.

I searched my bed and found my own set underneath my blanket. “Yeah, I’ve got a pair.”

“So cool,” Will said. “So freaking cool!”

I smiled at Will’s enthusiasm, thinking for the hundredth time how thankful I was to have him on this journey with me. I wondered how T-Rex was doing in the Ratling’s dorm.

As if on cue, a deep bell sounded outside. Everyone stopped in mid-activity, then made a mad dash to the windows and doors to look outside.

“Who is it?” mumbled a dozen different voices. “Who’s missing?”

“Strange; it’s first thing in the morning,” someone else said.

Will and I followed along and went outside just as the second chime reached our ears.  Of course, we already knew who it was. In the distance, perched awkwardly on a boulder in the center of the training field, T-Rex struck a large bell for the third time with a heavy-looking, two-handed hammer. Bacho stood next to him and helped him down.

“Just what we need—another Ratling,” a thin hunter with red hair mumbled.

“What’d ya think?” asked a squat, muscular boy with terrible acne. “That he was goin’ for tha Cave ‘a Trials? That’s a lark.”

“Makes sense,” a hunter said nearby. “The fat one never would have made it.”